After the bandits entered the Black Cat Pavilion.

Those who were originally there became the First Army Monkeys, and the bandits were categorized as the Second Army Monkeys.

Naturally, it was So Gunpyeong who took on the task of raising the Second Army’s combat strength up to the level of the First Army. By now, So Gunpyeong had practically become a professional Jianghu monkey trainer.

.

.

.

I had laid down a mat beneath a plum tree and was napping when I awoke to the sound of groaning.

In a drowsy tone, I spoke.

"…Who just let out that groan? Who dares to disturb my sweet nap?"

"Apologies!"

"Can't even do a hundred push-ups, yet you think you deserve to learn martial arts?"

Too lazy to get up, I turned onto my side and looked ahead.

From my lying position, I locked eyes with the bandits who had their heads buried in the ground.

Heads on the ground, hands at their waists — the bandits were now demonstrating a perfectly proper head-to-ground posture.

Nearby, I heard So Gunpyeong’s voice.

"Stand up."

As the bandits scrambled to their feet, their faces disappeared from my field of vision.

I closed my eyes again and listened to So Gunpyeong’s voice.

"…You hate working at the inn. You hate working for the Iron Pavilion. You hate the Construction Division too. In short, you don't want to work, is that it? Fine. But I won’t tolerate you looking down on the Black Cat Pavilion. You think because the Lord took you in, you can look down on us? You little trash thieves who used to rob people hiding in the mountains?"

"No, sir!"

"Is that how loud a mountain bandit’s voice is supposed to be? Slam your heads down again."

I added my own weight to So Gunpyeong’s words.

"That’s right. You’re doing well. Slam those heads down."

Thud, thud, thud — once again, the bandits smashed their heads into the ground.

So Gunpyeong continued.

"The Lord is sleeping right next to you. If any of you dares to groan and wake him again, you’ll spend the entire night slamming your heads into the ground."

Half-asleep, I responded,

"Yeah. Let me sleep."

No one dared to ask me why I had to sleep there of all places.

Truthfully, whenever I watched my subordinates training through pain and hardship, it strangely made me sleepy. Sometimes, when someone screamed, I would wake up, but then I'd enjoy the view and watch their suffering instead.

Squinting through my half-open eyes, I saw Jang San, the foolish Gwa Woochun, Jo Gaseong, and the brothers Gu Jun and Gu Pyeong, all pressing their foreheads to the ground.

The reason they were enduring this humiliation was because they had said they wanted to stay in Jianghu.

I asked them the question I always did.

"Hey, anyone who doesn’t want to keep slamming their head, get out to Ilyang County. Go haul dirt. Don’t cause a ruckus here."

Jang San replied in a sullen tone.

"No, sir."

"You think So Gunpyeong is so free he has time to waste on you bastards? You’re stealing his time, and you don’t even appreciate it. So Gunpyeong."

"Yes, Lord of the Sect."

"Make it even harsher. Any bastard who doesn't shape up, kick them straight to Ilyang County."

"Understood."

"If any Haomun disciple causes trouble in Ilyang County, they’ll be executed on the spot. Keep that in mind."

Over thirty of them remained at the Black Cat Pavilion.

The rest of the bandits had been sent off to the Iron Pavilion and the Construction Division on the very first day of their return to the Black Cat Pavilion. The ones who claimed they would stay in Jianghu even if it killed them were now the ones with their foreheads buried in the ground.

Simply put, So Gunpyeong was whipping them into military discipline.

They had gotten a taste of discipline from the First Army Monkeys on their very first day, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

And So Gunpyeong was not an easy opponent.

"Lift one leg. From now on, anyone who drops their leg will get beaten like yesterday. You get another chance. Anyone who wants to just work, go out to the Outer Courtyard. Know your place and live a simple life. Rotten bandits dreaming of some glorious sect life? Know your place, got it?"

Lying down with one hand supporting my head, I spoke to So Gunpyeong.

"So Pavilion Lord."

"Yes, Lord of the Pavilion."

"After fighting alongside the Martial Alliance this time, I realized something. You know, we stormed Namak under the formation of the One-Sword Line."

"Yes."

"Leading the charge was the Martial Alliance Leader himself."

So Gunpyeong’s eyes widened.

"Wow, really?"

"The rest of us formed a breakthrough formation and chased after Alliance Leader Im Sobaek. I was near the rear. But what was fascinating was how, without a single word of explanation, the guards, the sword squads, the elders — everyone instinctively found their place in the One-Sword Line and charged forward with overwhelming force. No matter what situation arose, Alliance Leader Im would have kept advancing until he cut off the Namgak Leader’s head. It was incredibly impressive to see how even the youngest guards and the elder council members could function as one seamless sword formation. How much training must they have gone through?"

So Gunpyeong responded.

"It must have been an incredible sword formation. And the Alliance Leader must be a true commander."

"There’s no better word for him. Watching how the members of the Alliance fought, I realized that even the Namyeonghui under Haomun wouldn't stand a chance against them. And personally, I had always thought Namyeonghui was the strongest among our subordinate forces."

So Gunpyeong asked,

"Where does our Black Cat Pavilion rank?"

I thought for a moment, then replied honestly.

"Namyeonghui is the strongest. The rest don't matter. Black Cat Pavilion is about on par with the Black Wire Corps."

Lying back, I looked toward the First Army Monkeys of the Black Cat Pavilion. They were still hanging from somewhere, doing monkey pull-ups.

Now that my sleepiness had completely vanished, I finally pushed myself upright, leaned against the plum tree, and stared at the bandits pressing their heads into the ground.

"My mountain bandit friends, do you really think you can die gloriously in Jianghu after training like this? Working in Haomun is far more comfortable. If you want to survive in Jianghu, you have to train like the martial artists of the Black Cat Pavilion — every day, without fail."

The bandits shouted in unison,

"Yes, Lord of the Sect!"

So Gunpyeong spoke to the bandits.

"You thieving bastards, stand up!"

With a flurry of rustling noises, the bandits scrambled to their feet and faced So Gunpyeong.

So Gunpyeong said,

"Thirty-two of you in total. For now, you’ll be accepted as the Second Army Monkeys of the Black Cat Pavilion. All First Army Monkeys are your seniors. Jang San."

Jang San answered.

"Yes, Pavilion Lord."

"If you're feeling confident, go ahead and pick a fight with any First Army Monkey."

"No, sir."

Yesterday, Jang San had tried to challenge one of the Black Cat Pavilion’s seemingly weaker subordinates and ended up getting mercilessly beaten half to death. Though Jang San might have had more raw strength, there was no way he could beat the monkeys who had been grinding themselves in the Black Cat Pavilion.

I said to the bandits,

"You said you were ready to die, so I’m letting you into the Black Cat Pavilion. But if I hear even a whisper that you’re challenging the First Army Monkeys or defying Pavilion Lord So Gunpyeong, I’ll personally send you off to join the Namgak Leader in the afterlife. Got it?"

"Yes, Lord of the Sect!"

I called out toward the Great Hall.

"Chief Steward Cha Seong-tae, tell Chief Steward Byeok to manage these thirty-two under the Black Cat Pavilion."

"Yes, sir."

"And the ones who dropped out to the Outer Courtyard — send them to the Construction Division. Tell them if any of them slack off enough to annoy Yeon Ja-seong, report them immediately. These are the ones I threw into the mix after fighting Sama Hak. It’s an insult to me personally. If they can't work properly, let them be remembered as dead bandits."

"Understood!"

"Those who adapt well and work hard will later be assigned to manage inns or taverns. But before that, I need to figure out for myself which ones are diligent and which ones are just schemers, don’t I?"

"That's correct."

"That's why I first sent them out to the work sites. Make sure Yeon Ja-seong understands this properly too."

"Understood."

By the way, after returning, I had slept so much that I wasn’t even drowsy anymore. If this kept up, I would end up staying awake all night again, circulating my internal energy, and my days and nights would end up completely reversed.

As I let out what would probably be my last long yawn of the day, So Gunpyeong and the subordinates suddenly turned their eyes to the opposite wall of the courtyard.

A young man, his hair slick and greasy, had suddenly appeared atop the wall, peering into the Black Cat Pavilion.

So Gunpyeong barked sharply,

"Who the hell are you?"

The subordinates who had been doing pull-ups all dropped down and stared at the wall. The uninvited guest, wearing a strange grin, plopped down casually on the wall and looked at me.

"Are you the Lord of Haomun?"

Seeing his expression, clothing, and general air, I immediately scowled and said to my subordinates,

"He's my guest. You don't need to interfere."

So Gunpyeong replied,

"Excuse me?"

"Go inside and have your dinner. Don’t worry about this side."

As soon as my order fell, the guy sitting on the wall snickered gleefully.

I thought to myself,

‘Crazy bastard... Smelling money and crawling over already?’

He looked so young that I hesitated for a moment, but judging by the way he carried himself, he was likely the youngest member of the Seven Silver and Gold Bugs.

That nickname wasn't anything grand — it simply meant seven bugs.

However, the fact that he was one of the Seven Bugs meant that the First Bug was somewhere nearby as well.

Simply put, they were money-grubbing vermin.

The real problem was — the man who commanded the Seven Bugs was a master of the dark path, and later, he would appear alongside me on the martial world's public enemy list.

The ranking of martial world public enemies was determined based on the bounties posted by the Martial Alliance. Naturally, the higher the bounty, the higher the ranking. The master of the Seven Bugs was a notorious attention-seeker who would deliberately stir up trouble every time my fame and bounty rose.

But, to be fair, I was a bit of an attention-seeker too — then and now.

Anyway, the arrival of the Seven Bugs meant one simple thing:

I had made enough money for the bugs to swarm.

Rumors that the Lord of Haomun was rich must have spread widely across the dark underworld.

While So Gunpyeong led the subordinates and the bandits inside for dinner, I asked the bug still perched on the wall,

"What’s your business?"

The bug grinned foolishly, showing a mouth with several missing teeth.

"I heard the Lord of Haomun has gotten quite famous, so I came to see for myself."

"You crazy bastard."

If I killed this Seventh Bug, the Sixth Bug would show up. If I killed the Sixth Bug, another would come.

I knew all their faces because I had killed every single one of the Seven Bugs with my own hands in my previous life.

Looking at the bug, I found myself slipping into thought.

Is fate something that can be avoided, or is it inevitable?

The fact that I had slaughtered over a hundred bandits — that was a change from the fate of my past life.

I had taken on the karmic debt that should have fallen to Im Sobaek, and I expected repercussions to crash down on me... but I hadn't expected bastards who had died in my past life to suddenly reappear.

The bug spoke.

"Master Six Harmonies wishes to speak with the Lord of Haomun. If you have time tonight or tomorrow night, he will visit in person."

"Tell him to come tomorrow night."

"Understood."

The bug disappeared from the wall. Outside, I heard the scampering sound of rats fleeing over rooftops as the other bugs moved away from the Black Cat Pavilion.

So Gunpyeong stuck his head out of the Great Hall and asked me,

"Master Six Harmonies is coming? Are those really the money bugs?"

"Looks like it."

"Should we gather tomorrow and kill them?"

I looked at So Gunpyeong.

"You think you can kill Master Six Harmonies?"

"Honestly, I've only heard the rumors. I don’t know his real strength."

"Tomorrow, we’re just treating them to dinner. Leave them alone."

"Understood."

In the martial world, there are occasionally people like that.

Men infamous for their vulgarity, childishness, and obnoxiousness.

Among them, Master Six Harmonies was known across the underworld for his vulgarity. The real problem was that no one truly understood how strong he was — not even me in my previous life.

Later, Master Six Harmonies would earn the nickname Ghost Child of the Six Harmonies.

Then, after being involved in various incidents across the martial world, his title would evolve again — to Ghost Demon of the Six Harmonies.

When the Martial Alliance formally announced the public enemies and declared a purge...

They dropped the name "Six Harmonies" altogether and simply labeled him "Ghost Demon."

Thus...

Ghost Demon, Crazy Demon, Poison Demon, and Lust Demon — these four individuals were placed at the top of the public enemy ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) list, known collectively as the Four Demons.

When you added the Five Evils — the martial world’s other notorious enemies — together they became the Nine Evils and Demons.

Which meant there was still one spot missing to complete the traditional number of ten.

That final spot had long been occupied by one man —

The one called the Greatest Evil Under Heaven.

Not only was he at the top of the public enemies list, he was considered the symbolic leader among the Ten Great Evildoers.

That man was known as the First Disaster.

One of the legendary Three Disasters.

Even the Martial Alliance, although it listed him as a public enemy, never dared to seriously move against him.

For the martial world — and for me — the lack of news about him was a blessing.

I had only heard rumors. I had never seen him with my own eyes.

If I had, I would probably have died long before falling into the Heavenly Net of the Demonic Cult.

Now that the Ghost Demon was said to be visiting me again...

The villains of my past life began swirling through my mind.

I sat beneath the plum tree, arms crossed, slowly reviewing my fights with the Ghost Demon — battles during my time as the Crazy Demon that had never ended decisively.

After killing all the bugs myself, I had eventually clashed with the Ghost Demon. Yet neither of us had been able to kill the other.

Therefore, even if he was still just Master Six Harmonies now...

I had to be prepared.

What could those sweaty bandit brats, slamming their heads into the ground, possibly understand about all this?

Surviving in the martial world was never easy — whether in my past life or in this one.